Your web browser (Safari 7) is out of date. For more security, comfort and Activityengage the best experience on this site: Update your browser Ignore Introduction to Contour Maps What information does a contour map provide? Overview Students discuss different kinds of landforms and the need for maps that show changes in elevation. Then they learn to read a contour map. For the complete activity with media resources, visit: http://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/introduction-to-contour-maps/ Directions 1. Brainstorm a list of common landforms. Ask students to name some common landforms, such as hills, mountains, valleys, and plateaus. Sketch simple line drawings of each on the board. Ask: What is the main difference between hilly or mountainous terrain and flat terrain? Students should point out the differences in height. Explain to students that those differences are elevation changes. Tell students that in hilly and mountainous areas, the elevation of the land changes within the area sometimes very quickly. In the flatter areas, elevation doesn t change as much. Introduce the term relief. Explain to students that relief is the amount of elevation change in the land surface within a given area. 2. Introduce contour maps. Explain to students that a contour map is another name for a topographic map, or a map that shows the elevation of land on a flat paper surface. Ask: Why might this be useful? Elicit from students that contour maps are a convenient way to visualize flat and steep terrain, especially for hikers or other people navigating with 1 of 6
maps. Remind students that an acronym is a word formed from the first letters of other words. Ask students if they have ever heard the acronym DOGSTAILS. Write the acronym on the board and explain to students that most topographic maps include these map essentials: Date: when the map was made Orientation: direction (north arrow or compass rose) Grid: lines that cross to form squares Scale: map distance Title: what, where, and when Author: who made the map Index: the part of the grid where specific information can be located Legend: what the symbols mean Sources: who provided information for the map 3. Read a contour map of your area. Use the Nat Geo Topo! Explorer website to find and display a contour map of your area. Point out the contour lines. Explain to students that these are imaginary lines that join points of equal elevation, and that they allow you to read the shape of the Earth s surface. Tell students that by reading contour lines, they can measure the steepness of a hill, the height of a mountain, and even the depth of a lake or ocean. Have students pinpoint a place where the contour lines are close together. Explain that the close lines mean the elevation is changing rapidly; those are steep places. Then have students pinpoint a place where the contour lines are far apart. Explain that the space indicates the elevation is not changing much; those are flat places. If the local relief is relatively flat, emphasize variation rather than extremes between steep and flat. Have students read the contour lines at the bottom and top of the highest place in your area. Have them subtract the lowest number from the highest to figure out the height of that landform. 4. Use symbols to identify other features on the contour map of your area. Display the USGS Topographic Map Symbols PDF for students. Review some of the most common symbols. Then ask students to use those symbols to identify other human-made features on the contour map of your area. Have students identify each of the human-made features below and its symbol. 2 of 6
their own or another school other buildings roads railroads bridges Encourage students to use what they learned about symbols to identify natural features and their symbols too. Objectives Subjects & Disciplines Geography Physical Geography Learning Objectives Students will: list some common landforms explain what information contour maps provide and why it is useful read a contour map Teaching Approach Learning-for-use Teaching Methods Brainstorming Discussions Hands-on learning 3 of 6
Skills Summary This activity targets the following skills: Critical Thinking Skills Understanding Geographic Skills Acquiring Geographic Information National Standards, Principles, and Practices National Geography Standards Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, geospatial technologies, and spatial thinking to understand and communicate information Preparation What You ll Need Materials You Provide Contour maps of your local area Pencils Pens Required Technology Internet Access: Required 4 of 6
Tech Setup: 1 computer per classroom, Projector Physical Space Classroom Grouping Large-group instruction Other Notes You can either use the Nat Geo Topo! Explorer to find a contour map of your area for this activity, or you can supply your own contour map. Resources Provided: Websites National Geographic Maps: Topo! Explorer Resources Provided: Handouts & Worksheets Topographic Map Symbols Background & Vocabulary Background Information Earth s surface has many different kinds of landforms that vary widely in height and elevation. Contour maps show the elevations of these surface features, which allows you to look at a two-dimensional map to visualize the Earth in three dimensions. Prior Knowledge 5 of 6
[] Recommended Prior Activities Make a Contour Map Vocabulary Term Part of Speech Definition contour linenoun line joining points of equal elevation. contour map noun representation of an area's elevation points or slopes. elevation noun height above or below sea level. grid noun horizontal and vertical lines used to locate objects in relation to one another on a map. landform noun specific natural feature on the Earth's surface. legend noun explanation of symbols and abbreviations used on a map, also known as a key. map scale noun relationship between distance on a map and distance on the ground. orientation noun an object or person's position in relation to true north. relief noun the difference in elevation between areas of a specific region. terrain noun topographic features of an area. topographic map showing natural and human-made features of the land, noun map and marked by contour lines showing elevation. For Further Exploration Websites USGS: The National Map 1996 2017 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. 6 of 6